Sunday, July 31, 2011

It's been a while since I posted a Sunday Seven. In truth, I sort of forgot about it. I didn't stop to think about my blessings or notice the little things that make life worth living. I finally remembered last weekend, so I started keeping track in a notebook (my food diary actually since I know I'll be in there every day). So here's my Sunday Seven for this week:

Thursday, July 28, 2011

My creative space has been going through a bit of an upheaval this week. I decided I needed to organize myself a bit better; so I've been sorting through inventory & supplies & making everything more accessible. I have lots of before & in process photos, but I have yet to achieve the "after" so you'll have to wait to see more later.

Beside that & working on my cupcake tag order, I've done a bit of re-potting this week. I came home from up North with a basil plant & a succulent. I know, weird travel companions, but I just couldn't resist picking them up while I was there. Basil is my absolute favourite herb & the plants looks so cheery & smelled so good while I was at the grocery store with my mom one day.

Surprisingly, my basil has been doing very well. I've tried growing the plant before & failed miserably after only a single crop. But I think I discovered the secret to growing basil: it needs a bit of water every day.

Surprise! Ha! I'm really bad for remembering to water my plants... So I have even higher hopes for my succulent, a haworthia mirabilis mundula:

It was so cute & tiny at the store, I just had to pick it up. I was just going to transplant it into one of the many pots I have, but then I found this awesome glass jar at Walmart & just knew I had to make a terrarium.

While her terrariums are mossy ones, I totally stole her decorating idea: a super cute plastic dinosaur (I had one that came packaged with an online order from Snapfish... odd, no?).

Isn't he adorable? A perfect size for this pot.

I layered cactus soil on top of rocks & charcoal (from some dollar store drawing sticks I had). Then I added in rocks & sand (actually gravel for my finch, Michael) to give it a desert-y feel. I love how it all came together with things I had around the house (beside the earth, plant & jar). A few more fancy rocks completed the piece, like that shiny one by the dino & this fool's gold:

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Here's a peek from the outside:

I've kept the lid off for now since most of the online tutorials advised so. With the lid on, it'll get too humid for my succulent to thrive. I may cover it up in the winter to help maintain a warmer climate though, we'll see how it goes.

My grandma collects Royal Doulton dolls - starting with her namesake, the Louise figurine - and so each of her 3 daughters, including my mom, and her 1 granddaughter, me, have their doll as well. This little lady is my Amanda figurine, which I received near the end of high school:

My middle name is Laurie Anne, my grandma's first daughter's name. She had DS & leukemia & lived for only 18 months, so the name has special meaning to all of us. My grandma was able to find a Laurie Anne doll for herself many years ago, mostly by pure luck. She's a rare antique doll & fairly hard to find. At first, I'd hoped that I would inherit that doll (the contents of my grandma's will has always been a bit of an ongoing joke, since she has quite the collection of china & other pretty things) - except that she was the 3rd tall figurine in my grandma's collection.... so Laurie Anne was destined for my aunt. I was heartbroken, but obviously understood.

During my week at home, my grandma surprised me with a gift for graduating with my MSc (soon). Yes - that's right - my very own Laurie Anne doll:

While I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago, I divided my time between their place & my brother's, which is just down the road, maybe a 4 minute walk away. One evening, I happened to have my camera on me as I ventured back to the house with my mom - luckily enough, since this was the scene greeting us as we made our way up the gravel road:

The sun was setting brilliantly, lighting the clothes on the line. The sky was darker & more sunset-hued than shown in these photos, but I was trying to capture the brightly coloured clothing on the line instead. They looked so cheery, like a bunting banner.

I hope my mom doesn't mind me posting this picture of her, but I just loved how it turned out. It doesn't necessarily feel like the sun is setting & it's hard to tell if my mom is taking the clothes off the line or pinning them up. Everything is still, lush, green. The tiller in the garden adds a rustic feel, as do the old shop & telephone post holding up the drooping wire.

This photo conveys the message: countryhome.

It also makes me smile because I can't help but think of something my mom always says - that the laundry always smells better fresh off the line. Which is so true & worth it, even if it's more work than throwing everything in the dryer. Oh how I used to complain about this summer chore, having to lug the basket outside & pin each item up, one by one!

And here I am now, wishing I could.

Well... except for jeans, which dry too stiffly on the line, and towel (yes, mom, towels), which dry up like sandpaper.

Anyway, since I thought this bucolic scene looked like a painting, I edited this photo with an oil finish:

I like the splotchy treeline & Buster's casual stance.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend - this weekend - so that I can drink in some more fresh air & country life!

Monday, July 25, 2011

I feel like making today a random day, with a series of short, random posts. Mostly, I need to clear out some photos & thoughts I've been meaning to blog about!

To start the day, I just wanted to show you a rainbow I captured while I was up North on vacation.

Just as I was snapping this, I was startled by a flash of lighting - my mom thought it was my camera - followed by a BOOM. The LOUDEST thunder I'd ever heard! It sounded like a huge collision of some sort, all in an instant... Scared the bejeebies out of all of us!

It's Mosaic Monday! I hope you'll join us - it's really easy! Just make a photo mosaic - you can use whatever photo editing software you like, or a website such as the mosaic maker & photos from Flickr - & then post it on your blog. Go ahead & pick a theme if you want, but don't feel like you have to. Have fun with it!

Make sure to include a link back to my blog so that everyone can participate. Then come back here & submit a link to your blog post (using the "add your link" button at the bottom). I'll be looking at & commenting on each one!